Best MCP Servers for Claude and ChatGPT: A Short List
The best MCP servers are the ones connected to tools you already use every day. For most creators and marketers that means a notes or memory server, a docs server such as Notion, one for your task tracker or design tool, and an automation server like Zapier for everything else. Start with two or three. Each one you add gives your AI more tools to pick from, and more ways to pick the wrong one.
Below is a short list sorted by job, with the official server for each where one exists, and what to check before you connect it.
What is an MCP server, in one paragraph?
An MCP server is a small service that gives an AI app tools it can use, like “search my notes” or “create a task”. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the shared standard, so the same server works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other apps that support it. You connect a server once and your AI calls its tools when a request needs them. What is MCP has the longer explanation.
Remote or local: which kind of MCP server do you need?
There are two kinds, and the difference decides where a server works.
| Remote MCP server | Local MCP server | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On the vendor’s servers, at a URL | On your computer |
| How you add it | Paste a URL, sign in | Install it, edit a config file |
| Works in web and mobile apps | Yes | Usually not |
| Works in desktop apps and editors | Yes | Yes |
| Who keeps it updated | The vendor | You |
| Good for | Most people | Files on your machine, developers |
If you use Claude.ai or ChatGPT in a browser, you want remote servers. A local server can only answer when your computer is on and the app can reach it, which rules out your phone and the web apps.
Which MCP servers are worth connecting?
Here’s a short list sorted by the job you want done. All the remote servers named here come from the companies behind the tool; get the current URL and setup steps from each vendor’s docs, since they change.
| Job | Server | Kind | Why it’s worth it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes and AI memory | Valta | Remote | Every AI you use saves and finds the same Markdown notes |
| Docs and wikis | Notion | Remote | Search, read and edit your workspace |
| Tasks and projects | Linear, Asana, Atlassian (Jira, Confluence) | Remote | Create and update tasks from a chat |
| Design | Canva | Remote | Work with your designs from the AI |
| Payments | Stripe | Remote | Look up customers, invoices and payments |
| Everything else | Zapier | Remote | Reach the apps Zapier connects through one server |
| Web search | Brave Search | Local | Search results inside apps without built-in search |
| Files on your computer | Filesystem (reference server) | Local | Read and write files in folders you choose |
| Web pages | Fetch (reference server) | Local | Pull a page into the chat as clean text |
The Filesystem, Fetch, Memory and Time servers are reference servers kept in the official Model Context Protocol repository. They’re good for learning and for desktop setups, but they run locally.
What about notes and memory servers?
This is the one most people should add first, because it fixes the most common annoyance: every new chat starts from zero, and each AI keeps its own memory. A notes server gives Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor the same place to save decisions, voice notes and plans. The options (local plugins, the reference Memory server, hosted vaults) are compared in MCP server for notes, so we won’t repeat them here.
If you already keep everything in Notion, its server may be enough on its own. Notion MCP covers the setup.
How do you add an MCP server to Claude or ChatGPT?
The steps are close to the same for any remote server:
- Get the URL from the vendor’s docs. Remote servers usually end in
/mcp. - Add it to your app. In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors, and add a custom connector. In ChatGPT, look for connectors (or apps) in Settings. In Cursor or VS Code, add an entry to the MCP settings file.
- Sign in. Most remote servers open a sign-in page (OAuth) so you never paste a password into the chat.
- Test it with a plain request, like “list my open tasks” or “search my notes for pricing”.
For a step-by-step walk through the connector screens, see connect Valta to Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. The steps are the same for other servers; only the URL changes.
What should you check before connecting a server?
- Who runs it. Prefer the vendor’s own server over a community copy. Anyone can publish an MCP server.
- What it can do. Read-only is safer than read and write. Look at the tool list your app shows after connecting.
- What it can see. Good servers use your existing permissions and let you limit access, for example to one workspace or one vault.
- Where your data goes. Whatever a tool returns is sent to your AI provider as part of the chat.
- How many you have on. A dozen servers means a long tool list. Turn off what you don’t use.
Which MCP servers suit content creators?
A simple setup that covers most creator work:
- A notes vault for your brand voice and your idea bank. Content idea bank and brand voice guide for AI show what to put in it.
- The tool where your drafts live, such as Notion or Canva.
- Zapier if you need the AI to reach an app with no server of its own.
That’s three servers, each with a clear job. If you run several brands, keep each brand’s notes separate so the AI doesn’t mix voices: one vault per brand.
FAQ
What is the most useful MCP server?
A notes or memory server, for most people. It improves every chat, not just one kind of task. After that, the server for the tool you open most often.
Are MCP servers free?
Many are free to connect, but they work with your account in the underlying tool, so that tool’s plan still applies. Reference servers are open source.
Do MCP servers work with ChatGPT?
ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers as connectors, so any server with a URL can work there. Local servers usually don’t work there, because ChatGPT runs in the cloud and can’t reach your computer.
Where can I find a list of MCP servers?
The official MCP Registry lists published servers, and the Model Context Protocol repository on GitHub keeps the reference servers. Claude and ChatGPT also show a directory of connectors inside their settings.
Is it safe to connect many MCP servers?
Pick trusted servers and review what each one can do, and it’s fine. Still, fewer is better. Every extra server adds tools your AI has to choose between.
Where Valta fits
Valta is a remote MCP server for notes: one vault of Markdown notes that Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and Claude Code all read and write. It adds nine tools, and the two you’ll use most are save and search. No AI runs on Valta’s side: your assistant does the writing, Valta keeps the notes.
The Free plan gives you one vault with up to 100 notes, and export is free on every plan. Pro starts with a 14-day free trial, then $9 a month; see the pricing section. Create your free vault and make it the first server you connect.